


Consolation Prize

by PhenixFleur



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Bad Decisions, Blood Moon Ball divergence, Dancing, Dating, M/M, Marco having crappy timing, Star is a kickass wingman, Tom being spiteful, fancy that, oh hey look I'm shipping yet another geeky teenager with a demon, teenage awkwardness isn't just for humans, tomarco - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 02:31:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4689122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhenixFleur/pseuds/PhenixFleur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slight error in timing results in Marco dancing with Tom at the Blood Moon Ball instead of Star.</p>
<p>This then consequently results in a botched revenge plot, unexpected feelings, Underworld dates, teenage awkwardness, a potential soulbond that shouldn't have happened, and everything in between.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Consolation Prize

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go again.

Inhumanly strong hands (that were also literally steaming) seized his shoulders, roughly slamming him against the wall at his back hard enough to make him gasp; the sound was immediately swallowed up by the pair of lips pressed against his own in a kiss that rendered him lightheaded and sent his heart rate spiraling out of control.

It was in that moment that Marco Diaz realized that he’d made a terrible mistake. 

* * *

  
Looking back, and rather unwilling to admit that his reluctance to leave Star Butterfly to her own devices for the evening might have been a bad idea, he decided the fault lay with timing. He’d often heard that timing was everything, and the platitude was something Marco generally agreed with. As Echo Creek Academy’s designated ‘Safe Kid’ and a devotee of organization he tended to care a good deal about things like _punctuality_  and proper scheduling. Granted, his ability to plan ahead had gone right out the window with the addition of Star (and the chaos she brought alongside her) to his school and his life, but he still tried his best to maintain some aspects of timeliness. It never occurred to him that timing and punctuality aren’t exactly the same thing.

It was how he found himself in a near state of panic soon after arriving at the site of the Blood Moon Ball in search of his best friend. His disguise was rather flimsy, but it seemed to do the trick among the varying humanoid and not so humanoid attendees of the function, most of which appeared to be frustrated with the tone of the party anyway. The assorted grumbling he overheard while scanning the crowd (and trying to ignore the utter implausibility of the host of demons, lesser imps, and whatever the dude with several heads in the corner was speaking perfect English) brought a satisfied smirk to his face. He most certainly did not like Tom, and hearing that his party was a bust was music to his ears. 

The dancefloor had already been cleared, and he could hear Star’s voice mingled in with the sound of a song that he might have liked had he heard it elsewhere. Pushing his way through the unenthusiastic crowd, he was met with the sight of Tom nudging Star along towards the center of the room, with Star dragging her heels every step of the way. “Come on, Star, dance with me!” The demon winked at her. “I even remembered our song.”

After a couple of seconds of listening further, Marco decided that the song kinda sucked after all. 

A few feet in front of him, Star folded her arms over her chest with a sigh. “Tom, I’ve never heard this song before in my life." 

Maybe it wasn’t  _really_  that bad of a song.

He noticed one of the demon’s eyes beginning to twitch as Star backed away by a few steps, holding up her hands to halt his approach. The crescent skylight was now wide open, ready to bathe the dancefloor in sultry red moonlight; Marco wasn’t entirely sure about the veracity of the voice’s claim but whether it was true or not he had to keep Star from doing something she might later regret. Just as she opened her mouth to continue protesting, he pushed his way past the line of underworld denizens ringing the dancefloor and reached for her hand. 

Star’s eyes widened, and the palpable gratitude in her bearing caused Marco’s heart to flutter…as she grabbed his hand, dragged him forward, and shoved him flush against her ex. "Oh hey, great timing!” She announced, face lit up with an obviously forced grin. “Yes, you can  _totally_  cut in! I’ll just be over there near that bowl of punch that’s on fire doing the whole  _friend_  thing.”

“Star, wait!” The two stunned teenagers called in unison, but the crown princess of Mewni had somehow already managed to put half a room of space between Tom and herself. To her credit, she hadn’t lied about heading towards the bowl of punch that was on fire. 

Tom moved to rush after her, but Marco’s reflexes kicked into gear, physically blocking his path. “She doesn’t want to dance with you,” he said firmly. “Take a hint, man.”

The demon glanced down at him, and Marco was taken aback by the unholy light gleaming in all three of his eyes. “Were you  _trying_  to interfere?”

Marco stood his ground, poking the other teenager in the chest with a sharp jab of his index finger. “I was  _trying_  to keep you from breaking my best friend’s heart again!”

Tom stared at him for all of three seconds before flinching in recognition. “You! You’re that guy.” His pupils narrowed into slits and disappeared completely into pools of glowing lavender. “You…”

“You guys look great together!” Star’s voice rang out from where she lingered at the buffet table; Tom’s eyes rapidly regained what passed for normalcy as he caught sight of her cheering them on. Marco could see him visibly struggling to keep from losing his cool altogether while she was watching him; he kind of hoped the demon would fail to do so, even if it meant he might get a little scorched in the process. He needed Star to see just how much of a jerk this guy was. 

Because he was technically in Hell, Marco’s prayer went unanswered.

Tom stared at Star for a brief moment, then back at him. Marco did not like the calculating grin that spread across his face when he did so. 

“Um…can I preface this by saying the hand chopping thing was an accident?” He sputtered, then yelped as the demon seized him by the hand and dragged him out onto the dancefloor. As if on cue, the music picked up again, moonlight streamed through the skylight, and Marco saw red. 

Marco wasn’t the  _greatest_ formal dancer although he wasn’t too bad at the venture; it ceased to matter in comparison to the skill of his unwanted partner, who guided him into what was probably a waltz with grace that seemed out of place among the skeletons and blood and fire and overall motif of death everywhere. It was clear that Tom had been practicing recently, probably as a bid to impress Star during the ball. He had a feeling most of the decisions that had gone into the event were geared towards Star, and as much as he didn’t like Tom a small twinge of guilt flickered in his chest. It disappeared completely as the demon tightened his grip on his left hand, just enough for it to be uncomfortable but not enough to hinder dancing. “667 years,” he sighed. “Can you even fathom how long that is?”

Marco’s heart dropped in response to a particularly sharp dip; he was expecting the demon to just drop him but he yanked him back just before the teenager hit the ground. The crowd watching them murmured in approval at the move, and Marco flushed a bit as he held on just a bit more tightly as well. For safety reasons. Ha. 

“At least four times my natural lifespan?” He quipped. 

“Really? That’s pathetic.” Tom sneered at his mortality. 

“Oh?” Marco moved in closer, matching his expression. “And you trying to trick your ex-girlfriend into some kind of magical soul bonding thing isn’t?”

Tom bristled, spinning him around violently enough to leave him slightly winded. "You’re lucky she’s watching. And I wasn’t going to trick her. I just wasn’t going to mention the significance of the blood moon.”

“Dude!” Marco rolled his eyes. “That’s a lie by omission.”

The crowd had faded from sight, leaving nothing but himself and the demon he was dancing with in the crimson moonlight. Under different circumstances, the whole thing might have been rather pleasant, but all he could think about was how Tom was very likely going to set  _him_  on fire. It seemed to be a running theme with the guy. 

Tom chuckled at his outburst, shaking his head derisively. “Horns, remember? I never claimed to be a good guy.” Marco’s flush deepened as the demon leaned in closer. “I just don’t incinerate people that piss me off anymore. But sometimes…” He finished the statement in a whisper, breath warming Marco’s ear in a way that was most definitely not enticing. Not in the slightest. “Sometimes I make exceptions.”

“…is that a threat?” Marco asked, in a strained voice that sounded foreign to his ears. He was terrified, and that’s why his heart was losing its cool and beginning to wig out in his chest. It had to be.  

“It’s a promise.”

They’d ceased dancing at some point, and as the haze faded Marco realized that the room had gone silent, watching the two of them. He glanced across the room at Star, who had also fallen silent, gazing at the pair on the dancefloor with eyes that shimmered with excitement. 

“I…” Marco was at a loss for words, and he grabbed at the first thing that came to mind. “I think I need a powder break.”

Then he shoved Tom away from him and  _ran_  as if the forces of Hell were hot on his heels. 

The coach he’d arrived in was down a corridor, and Marco was glad to find it deserted as he dashed towards his only means of escape without revealing himself to Star. He’d made it about halfway before a hand seized the back of his jacket. “Hey!”

His first instinct was to slip into karate mode; if he was going to die at a formal event in the underworld at the hands of his best friend’s demon ex-boyfriend Marco wasn’t doing so without a fight. He didn’t expect Tom to counter his motions by grabbing hold of his arm and twisting it behind his back to immobilize him; this time it was more than just a little uncomfortable. The demon pulled him closer; Marco couldn’t see his face from where he was positioned but he could visualize the smirk that he knew must be there quite vividly. “Did you think you could steal my chance to get her back and then just run off?”

Marco bit his lip, holding in the sharp hiss of pain as the demon twisted his arm even further. “If…if you kill me and Star finds out…”

“I’m not going to kill you,” Tom replied, smoothly. “You’re my consolation prize.”

Before Marco could fully register what was happening the Tom had released his grip on his arm only to force him against the wall and grace him with his first real kiss. As expected, the demon tasted like smoke and ash. There was no trace of the taint of the underworld or the dead creatures that inhabited it, only heat and flame and fervor, and Marco allowed himself to melt into it, returning the gesture haltingly at first. He couldn’t tell whether the wobbling of his legs and the perspiration dampening his palms were indications of fear anymore, or something else entirely.

When Tom let him up for air, taking a single step back so he could gaze at him with three appraising eyes, Marco took the chance to break away again, sprinting away from the demon at top speed.  

Tom didn’t follow him this time. He didn’t need to.

* * *

  
Upon reaching his house Marco all but rolled out of the coach, slipping through his bedroom window and hightailing it for the bathroom. He was trembling, his skin tingled, and his head spun; he felt as if he were sick but he knew good and well that that wasn’t the case. Off went the suit and the mask, bundled up into an untidy pile and shoved under the sink. For once he made no attempts to clean up after himself, changing into his pajamas and hurling himself into bed beneath the blankets and pillows where he continued to tremble, placing a hand over his heart. The events of the past evening melded into an incomprehensible mess in his head. His first kiss. A threat, a promise. A consolation prize. 

“ _You’re my consolation prize._ ” Him, not the kiss itself. Tom had referred to  _him_ , specifically. What did that mean?

As much as he wanted to wait up for Star’s return, the evening had left Marco exhausted beyond belief. He continued to mull over the potentially troubling thoughts as he drifted off to sleep, unable to come to any satisfactory conclusion; it wasn’t until a few seconds before sleep overtook him that he remembered being bathed in light of the blood moon while they danced.  

_The moon of lovers._


End file.
